


A Tiny Problem

by flightinflame



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Creature Fic, Creature cuddles, Injury Recovery, M/M, Original Percival Graves Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Recovery, support animal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-13 19:45:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10520589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Percival might be injured, but he is back at work and trying to keep on top of everything in his department.  Even if that means helping a strange British man rescue a terrified and traumatised occamy





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this prompt: http://fantasticbeasts-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/1184.html?thread=2226592#cmt2226592 on the kinkmeme

Percival was more exhausted than he was going to get on. His aurors and those around him were convinced that he should be taking more time off. Even Picquery suggested that he should wait until he was out of a sling before he got back to work. But Percival refused to listen to any of it. 

He had had enough of resting in his time trapped in a cell, waiting for a madman who had stolen his face. He wasn't going to avoid his team, not when they needed him now more than ever. Grindelwald had let the organisation of his office slide, punished and criticised his best aurors and promoted those who he thought he would be able to sway to his own view. The pain he felt every time he moved, and the fact his arm was still in the process of regrowing its muscles and bones, were unimportant given the circumstances. What mattered was his team.

His team, and the people he had met around them. Goldstein was a good auror - driven too much by a sense of justice, with no willingness to stick to the laws, but a good auror. And she had made a friend in a criminal - the surprisingly awkward baby brother of the man he had fought beside in the war. 

Newt Scamander had a strange way about him, but it was impossible to ignore the way that creatures responded to him. Which is why he was accompanying them today, as they were working on interrupting a smuggling ring which specialized in creature parts and the living beasts.

Percival would complete the raid, get the prisoners safely secured within the cells, do the initial write up of what had happened, and then go home and get some rest. First though, he had to manage to get into the cellar that had been reinforced by multiple spells. He worked through them firmly, even as the room spun a little, his aurors close by in case anyone escaped, and Newt beside him in case anything did.

The door finally swung forwards, and Percival nearly fell in towards it. The room was filled with cages, and he saw some animal parts - three erumpent horns were stacked against the wall, and there were numerous pelts piled in the centre of the floor. 

Newt walked forwards, wand out, and started to triage the creatures, calling out orders to Goldstein and Kettering to ensure that the creatures were all safely transported to the cages, with medical care being provided where it was needed most - healing spells would work on most creatures the same as they did on people.

Percival walked away to check on the aurors who were handling the smugglers, and to see how the other wards were breaking down. It was only when he was satisfied about their actions that he returned to see how the secondary group were getting on.

He paused to see Newt crouched down, frowning at a dark corner, wand drawn.  
"Something dangerous?"  
"Not dangerous. Just afraid."  
"Fear can make something dangerous." Percial pointed out as he approached, only to see a small blue and purple winged snake hiding in a crevice.  
"I can't get her out." Newt explained. "It's a defence mechanism. Occamy that are frightened will find somewhere safe and curl up there, and they won't leave their shelter. She's sized her body so she fits perfectly,and I ... actually, director, could you keep an eye on her for me? I need to sort out a few of the others. Just watch her, and if she gets smaller or starts to wriggle backwards call me over okay?"  
"I think I can manage that." Percival agreed, crouching down in front of the snake. He couldn't help feeling he'd been given the task merely to humour him and keep him out of trouble Still, it felt good to sit down for a few minutes. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. If he did Picquery would insist on light duties, and he knew he could do this. Everyone was just overreacting.

He sat down, gazing at the strange creature. He'd dealt with occamy shells before, but whenever he had their inhabitants had been dead or fled. Living occamy were if anything more beautiful than the silver that encased them. He held his good hand out towards her, ignoring the pain that shot down his wounded arm at the movement.  
"Hey there girl..." He greeted her gently. "You're safe now..." He kept his voice soft, hoping it was reassuring, and made a mental note to ask Newt later how he could tell she was a female. 

In a blink, the occamy lunged forwards, scurrying across his arm and then diving into the dark recesses of his sling. She was small, no larger than his hand, and she curled up in the shadows.  
"Newt?" He called out softly, and Newt raced over, cursing when he saw the crack.  
"She must have gone deeper-"  
"She's in my sling." Percival explained.

"Oh." Newt blinked. "Do you mind?"  
"I guess not..." Percival answered. "Will she be staying long?"  
"Until she feels safe." Newt answered. "And even then, she'll stay close for a couple of weeks - assuming you are willing to have her."

Percival frowned a little, considering. He had been feeling lonely recently, and he needed to get over what had happened. Looking after some other living thing might help.  
"Alright. But you have to teach me how to take care of her."

Newt nodded and smiled at him.  
"It would be a genuine pleasure director. But you need to name her."

"Tiny." He said after a moment. "Let's hope she takes the hint."


	2. Chapter 2

The small occamy was curled up in his sling as he climbed into the case, the same position she had been in the previous night. He had been worried - she was so small, and he had no knowledge about caring for creatures. His childhood dreams of a dog had been crushed by the time he was five, and since then he had avoided all creatures. Still, after instructions to let him know if she made any attempt to move, Newt had given him permission to take Tiny home.

Her weight was negligible, and he couldn't help finding the slight pressure almost reassuring. It was a reminder that she was there. He wasn't alone as he curled up in his bed, trying not to think of the months he had spent locked in his own basement, bleeding from every curse that was inflicted on his ruined body. He was startled back to reality by her growing a little longer, stretching out to a new more comfortable position. He hoped her growth meant she was happy rather than afraid, and tried not to worry. Newt had promised he would teach him how to care for her in the morning. So he only had to get her through tonight. She was wriggling a little, so he started to talk to her about work, about what his aurors had been investigating and his favourite cases. She didn't seem to mind his choice of conversation, and eventually the wriggling stopped, so he had to take that as a good sign.

Being an auror meant that Percival had seen more disgusting sights than any man should see. It seemed that the wizarding underclass always came up with new horrific tortures that they doled out on the innocent, seemingly just to make his day worse. He was at least avoiding most of those cases at the moment - while he had led the raid the previous day, and found several parts from endangered magical creatures, most of his time was spent behind a desk for now. It was frustrating, but it was necessary in an attempt to repair all the damage that Grindelwald had caused. 

Newt, however, was his own unique brand of disgusting within the case. Percival felt almost an admiration for it. Around other wizards Newt was painfully shy and quiet, seeming to want to disappear from view at every moment. Around his creatures, he was someone else entirely - someone far more confident, someone who was exactly where they belonged. He walked among creatures which could tear him limb from limb without batting an eyelash, and he seemed to have no qualms about dressing wounds or cleaning messes, cutting up large slabs of meat and at one point carrying what appeared to be half a cow in a wheelbarrow.

As he worked, Newt explained to Percival what he had managed to do with the creatures from the raid. He spoke to Percival carefully, pointing out each creature in turn and explaining their needs, how they were settling into life in the case.

"Here are the other occamy." Newt paused by a woven nest with two small creatures curled up inside it. "Now, they're still only little, so they aren't that good at chewing. Occamy eat insects, cockroaches are a favourite of theirs..." He pulled a still wriggling cockroach from his pocket, bit it in half, and then fed each half to an occamy. Percival raised an eyebrow and Newt shrugged.  
"Stops them fighting."  
"You want me to do that for Tiny?"  
"Tiny's an only child. It won't be such an issue for her." Newt said casually, handing over a cockroach. Percival held it firmly between thumb and forefinger of his uninjured arm, and then glanced into his sling to try and line up the cockroach with Tiny's mouth.

Tiny jumped forwards, her sharp teeth snapping, one of them cutting a gash into Percival's finger. She bit into the cockroach, and then it seemed to fall from her mouth, and scurried up the material of the sling and into Percival's shirt.

Percival was the Director of Security at MACUSA, and as such did not squeak in an undignified manner at a cockroach making its way into his shirt, although it was a close thing. Instead, he reached for his wand, and accioed the creature.

"Sorry about that..." Newt mumbled, looking nowhere near as sorry as someone who had just managed to assault a senior auror with a cockroach should look.   
"It's fine." Percival answered with a shrug of his shoulders.  
"It can take them a little while to master chewing, they're young. Make sure the food is the correct size for their current body, and then line it up like so-" Newt demonstrated, dropping the cockroach into Tiny's mouth.

She crunched away at it contentedly, one leg sticking from her mouth. Newt beamed, and then noticed the slight scrape on Percival's finger. He used his wand to remove the faint injury, and then smiled.  
"You're a natural with her you know?" 

Percival thought about arguing, but then nodded his thanks. "So when do I feed her?"   
"At this size, once a day or so should be fine. If she grows or shrinks massively let me know. If you aren't feeding her enough she'll bite you and let you know."  
"How kind." Percival muttered, but he leaned in, brushing his finger under Tiny's chin. She nuzzled against his hand slightly.

Newt paused for a moment and then beamed.   
"That's remarkable. Most occamy don't like to be touched by human hands, but she obviously sees something special in you Director..." He smiled softly. "I think you're both in safe hands."

"She doesn't even have hands." Percival pointed out, even though he couldn't stop a faint smile at the compliment.


	3. Chapter 3

Percival Graves felt that it was a sad reflection on his life that waking up in bed, unable to move, was hardly a new experience. Nor was the pain shooting from the arm which was still recovering from being a focal point of Grindelwald's torture. It took him a few moments to work out where he was, what was happening - his first thought was that Grindelwald had found him again. Had found him while he was drinking, or while he was asleep - his mind raced with the different ways that Grindelwald could have managed to overpower him.

Then he opened his eyes as something shifted against his arm, and the weight upon him resolved into the body of a serpent, at least fifteen feet long, laying across him.  
"Tiny. No." Percival tried to insist, but she showed no sign of shrinking - instead she took his voice as a sign to stretch out longer across his body. Percival attempted to push her away, and was faced with the fact he couldn't actually move her.

It was lucky that he had Newt's case resting in the corner of his room - he might have not wanted anyone in his house for now, but Newt was his best friend's little brother and Percival didn't fear him. He cleared his throat.  
"Newt?" He called out, before trying again, louder.

"Newt? I could do with you coming out now really, I need some help-" His calls didn't seem to be having much of an affect, so he resigned himself to being used as a pillow by an oversized occamy. He managed at least to get his injured arm out from beneath her. Her response was to flick her tongue across his face, and then go back to sleep.

Newt emerged several hours later, and took one look at the two of them on the bed before starting to laugh. Graves had been ready to feel frightened or intimidated by Newt's presence. Instead he couldn't help smiling. Newt wasn’t a threat.  
"A little help?"

Newt walked over to Tiny, running his hand down her scales and letting out a series of chirps. Percival tried not to look too impressed as she shrunk down - not to the size he could carry her in his sling, but to a size where she could curl up on his chest and purr. That was exactly what she did, her purring making her body vibrate loudly with the soft noise.

"I'll fix breakfast." Newt smiled. "You could do with the rest, and your arm's bad."   
Percival opened his mouth to complain, then thought better of it, and gently stroked Tiny under the chin.

By the time Newt returned with a plate of food, Tiny had shrunk back to almost her normal size.  
"Why did she do that?"  
“What part of it?”  
“Get big like that?”  
"They do it naturally. It's a protection method, to keep safe their young and themselves. Did anything happen to frighten her?"  
"I was asleep. Just thinking about...about what happened."

"She was defending you. Occamy are naturally protective of what they see as their own, and in her case, I'm willing to bet that includes you." Newt said it so simply that Percival couldn't help smiling, a little embarrassed by how happy he felt at that. He was managing to make a difference to Tiny at least. After everything that had happened, how severely he had failed the magical world, Tiny still allowed him close.

Newt paused when Tiny hissed again, her sharp teeth snapping at the air.  
"Hey... easy now girl... Director, maybe try and calm her down a little, she's being protective."

Percival gently picked up the occamy, feeling her shake a little in his hands. He carefully returned her to the sling, feeling her nuzzle close to his arm.  
"Can I make a suggestion Director?" Newt said after a moment, watching them.

"Fire away."  
"Maybe put the sling on your other arm while you are sleeping. She certainly seems to like your sling, and she might have size-related issues for the next month or two - adult occamy can control their sizing much better than juveniles." Newt began, looking like he was about to launch off into a three hour long rant about creature care. Percival smiled and nodded before he could continue.

"I'll try that. Thank you." At that moment, he felt the weight on his arm lessen slightly, and a glimpse into the sling revealed Tiny was currently no larger than an earthworm. He smiled at Newt.  
"This might be quite a long week."


	4. Chapter 4

The healers had decided that Percival's arm was healed enough for him to no longer require a sling for most activities, to Percival's great relief. He didn't particularly want to be stuck in an office for the forseeable future, allowed out only on the simplest of missions. He had managed to persuade Seraphina that he needed to work, and he had done what damage control he could with Grindelwald's treatment of his department.

So he was back in the field. Today, he was investigating a batch of Grindelwald's followers that had been causing trouble over the past couple of months, trying to build on Grindelwald's actions to expose the wizarding world. This building was rented by one of the witches involved, but appeared empty. 

Tiny was resting across his shoulders, a long thin blue noodle who seemed to be in quite a bad mood. Occasionally she would nip at his ear. Percival thought it was a sign of how terrible an influence Newt had been on him that his response to such actions wasn't to yell at her or move her from his shoulders, but instead to speak to her softly  
"Tiny, no, we don't bite..." He reprimanded her.

Percival felt her shift in response, becoming a little thicker, more like a scarf than a grumpy spaghetti. Percival was grateful that he had come in alone to investigate, leaving Newt with Tina and Mathilda outside to guard for anyone advancing. He was working on teaching Tiny manners, and it seemed to be having some success although at points she was difficult. Now that her teeth had released his ear, he reached up with his hand, running his fingers over the scales. 

The next moment, two things happened at once. First, Tiny took a flying leap down into his sleeve, and secondly the door to the building he was in slammed shut. A young woman with golden hair stepped forwards from the shadows, her wand pointed towards Graves. Percival heard other footsteps approach him from behind, as more figures stepped out.  
"I want you to drop your wand Director." She informed him, her accent harsh. "Drop your wand, and we will let your aurors go."

"What have you done with my aurors?" Percival asked, panicking as he remembered Grindelwald standing in front of him. He felt tight pressure wrap around his arm, Tiny holding him close and keeping him safe.  
"Two women and a man. They are alright for now. We'll kill the man first."

Percival couldn't get Newt hurt. It was a foolish thought, but he felt responsible for the magizoologist. Newt could have left the country as soon as he had exposed Grindelwald. Instead he had chosen to stay and advise MACUSA on magical animals, and teach Percival how to care for Tiny. Feeling terror bubble within him, he dropped his wand to the floor and mentally began to count. 

Ropes flicked out from the end of the witch's wand, and Percival automatically brought his hands up to block, shielding himself. As he did so, he felt Tiny moving through his robes, from his elbow to his shoulder before dropping down the floor. She was as small as she ever was, and he flinched as she hit the floor, worried she would be injured.

She grew.

Larger than he had ever seen her before, she expanded out, filling the room, her coils pressing the enemy witch and her henchmen back against the walls. She wrapped tightly around Percival, nuzzling against his face for a moment before spitting at the witch.

The coils around Percival were not tight enough to injure, but provided a shelter from the few spells that filled the air. He heard Tiny hiss in pain, and reached out to rub a hand along her scales, each as big as one of his hands.

" _Expelliarmus_!" The shout cut through the air, and his three opponents found themselves disarmed.  
"Are you alright?" Tina asked, frowning a little, as Newt raced forwards, his attention on Tiny. Mathilda and Tina dealt with the three who had attacked, as Percival gently rubbed beneath Tiny's chin.  
"You did so well there girl, I am very very proud, now, do you think you could be a little smaller?"

Tiny shrunk, and climbed back up his shoulder, revealing a nasty scrape down her side.   
"Newt?" Percival called out. "I think she's hurt, look..."   
Newt took one look and then disappeared into his everpresent case, returning with a lavender scented cream which he rubbed across her scales.  
"She'll be as good as new." Newt reassured him. "And you both did well..." He smiled fondly at Percival as he spoke, and Percival couldn't help smiling back.

He could wear his sling for a little longer. At least while he was writing this report. After all, you never knew when you might need to have a trick up your sleeve.


	5. Chapter 5

Newt had gone to a conference in England. He was working on increasing knowledge of creatures. Percival was happy for him. He knew that Newt was living out his dream. Percival was too busy with work to travel with him, but the two of them had been talking together every night by firecall. Percival was beginning to suspect that the relationship he was developing with Newt was more than just friendship, but it needed time to develop. He didn’t want to risk what they already had.

Work was going well. Percival had his department back under control, and he was managing to wipe out the few patches of support for Grindelwald that remained. Throughout it all, Tiny was a permanent reassurance wrapped around his wrist or cuddled up in his sleeve. He would feed her snacks, and she would cuddle up against him. 

During the workday, he was fine. He was being productive, he was helping his aurors and saving lives. It was the evening, when he returned back to an empty bed in an empty room in an empty house, that he struggled. He'd got used to the chaos of being close to Newt and his unending army of creatures, watching them squirm around and play at all hours. He had got used to fishing other occamy from the coffee pot before he drank any in the morning. He still checked the shower for stray demiguises before turning it on, remembering how distressed Dougal got when he found himself at risk of becoming damp. Newt staying had been simply the easiest option initially, but he hadn't realised until now just how much he wanted Newt's company.

Tiny's presence helped him to remain calm during the evenings, a constant sign that he wasn't alone. She seemed to have settled on a size which she used most of the time, the same length as his arm but thinner - it meant that she fitted within his sleeve or within a sling, but was still heavy enough to be felt. 

He checked the time, and realised that he might just manage to catch Newt. He pressed his face into the green flames, and the world around him changed until he saw the young magizoologist, sitting down on a bed with books scattered around him. 

Newt rushed straight to the fire the moment that he appeared.  
"Hello..."  
"Hey." Percival greeted him. "You're up late."  
"A little." Newt admitted. I wanted to see how you were."  
"Good. You?"  
"Hogwarts is talking about making my book compulsory reading. They seem to think that I should mention having studied at Hogwarts, leaving out...anything unfortunate."

Percival pulled a face at that, but nodded, and allowed Newt to talk on about what he had done. When Newt was too tired to continue, he pulled back and headed to the bed, wishing Newt a good night's sleep. He sat down with Tiny, brushing his fingers over her scales, and then placing her down on the pillow beside him. He closed his eyes.

He wasn't aware of when he drifted off. The next thing he was aware of was Grindelwald's mismatched eyes staring at him, a smirk on his lips. Pain shot through Percival's shoulder, and he began to scream. Grindelwald spoke slowly, telling him everything he would do, how he would torture him and make him suffer, how he would get him to watch as he killed each of his friends. Percival sobbed, helpless and terrified, as Grindelwald leaned closer, his wand hitting the delicate skin of Percival's neck.

Slowly, the pain faded, replaced with a deep pressure. He cracked his eyes open for a moment, and found that Tiny was looped around him, nuzzling her face gently into his own. Seeing that he was awake, she nipped his ear very gently before releasing him  
"Thank you." Percival mumbled. 

He brushed his fingers over her scales, until she shrank back down. The movement was soothing, helping him to focus and chasing away the dark memories. He smiled at her.  
"You looking after me?"  
She licked his face.

He couldn't remember the last time anyone had been going out of their way to look after him - he was a Graves, it was his role to take care of everyone else, not to be cared for, but she was keeping him safe, and Newt was caring about him.  
"Thank you..." He smiled a little. "You know, when Newt gets home, I think I might tell him just how much I missed him..."  
Her only response was to curl up around his arm, but that reassurance was enough to allow him to sleep without fear.


	6. Chapter 6

"She looks really healthy." Newt said with a smile, as Percival held Tiny up for him to inspect. She licked his cheek affectionately, and Newt's face lit up. "You're doing really well, aren't you girl? Percival is taking such good care of you, isn't he?"  
Percival couldn't help feeling a glow of pride in his chest at those words. It made him feel better.

"She's been doing a good job looking after me." He informed Newt. "We both missed you a lot."  
"You missed me?" Newt asked cautiously. He looked surprised.  
"I missed you a lot." Percival answered. "But... you're here now."  
Newt nodded, reaching out and squeezing Percival's hand.  
"I am." Newt's face scrunched up nervously for a moment, before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Percival's lips. "I missed you too."

Percival wrapped his arms around him, brushing his fingers through Newt's hair. It was surprisingly soft and springy. Newt looked up curiously, a fond smile on his face. Percival leaned in and kissed him back, then laughed as Tiny slithered her way between the two of them and making her way onto Percival's shoulder.  
"Think we could go out somewhere later?" He asked. "As a date?"  
Newt considered, then shook his head. Percival tried not to feel like his heart was sinking. He clearly didn't manage to completely hide his emotions, because Newt shook his head and reached for his hand.

"I think it'd be better to go into the case... at least for now. We can talk there." Newt answered. "If I'm out in public, I'm always worrying about what people see. In the case, with you, I don't feel like that. If that... If that's alright with you?"  
"It sounds brilliant to me." Percival answered. Newt looked happy at that moment, and Percival would have agreed to anything that made him smile like that.   
"Can Tiny come too?"  
"Tiny can come too." Newt answered with a nod, as Pickett clambered out from his pocket. "I'm hardly going to separate the two of you. Now, come on-" 

***

It turned out that occasionally Newt would separate the two of them. Mainly because Percival felt self-conscious with being naked around her, and over the past month the relationship between the two of them had led to some nudity.

"Tiny." Percival spoke softly, frowning at the occamy who was currently as tall as he was, bobbing from side to side. "It's for one night. You can stay outside for one night." He pointed at the soft pile of blankets that he had put in the corridor outside the bedroom. "You'll be perfectly comfortable. You're being childish."

She tried to dart past him again, and he moved to block her, sending her back to the bed with a frown.   
"You are sleeping here tonight Tiny. I'll see you in the morning, and you have a snack, here-" He put out a handful of cockroaches on the blanket. "You'll be quite comfortable. Now, you can stay out here, can't you."

He turned towards Newt, frowning when he saw Pickett on his shoulder.  
"Is he going to stay?"

Pickett stuck his tongue out from his place on Newt's shoulder, and Tiny hissed.  
Percival sighed.  
"He's got a tree. Look, just for tonight." He walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"You okay?"  
"I'm fine." Percival insisted, and Newt smiled.  
"She'll be fine."  
"Tell Pickett not to look..." Percival teased, before leaning in and kissing Newt. Newt threw a blanket over Pickett's tree to keep him from seeing, and then reached for Percival's shirt buttons.

Percival mirrored the action, gently kissing down Newt's chest.

***

Percival laid back on the bed, Newt curled up beside him. Newt's head was resting on his shoulder, their legs tangled together. Percival kissed him again. Newt smiled, then raised an eyebrow.  
"What?" Percival asked. 

Newt was grinning, and he pointed to the door. Percival watched as a shape slithered underneath the door, crawling up onto the bed. Tiny grew to a larger size, about the length of Percival's arm, and cuddled up beside Newt.

Percival chuckled, kissing Newt's forehead.  
"I can put her outside if you want."  
"She'll only come back in." Newt pointed out. "Anyway, I don't want to upset her by keeping her from her family."

Percival paused. "I'm going to have to get used to this from the two of you, aren't I?" He asked softly. Newt nodded, and Percival chuckled and shook his head, but he made no attempt to move Tiny away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support! I've really enjoyed writing this.


End file.
